Monday, June 30, 2014

Hi there! Welcome back! Have you been enjoying the Power Poppy Release this week? I hope so! Today we wrap up the peeks with one final digital set....Countryside Bouquet. Now, if this set doesn't get your heart palpitating, I don't know what will....

Isn't that bouquet just glorious? I love mixed bouquets and this one is a real show stopper, let me tell you. I had a lot of fun investigating online the different flowers in the bouquet. Two of them I am pretty familiar with but California Poppies are not a variety I have ever seen so I did a little research before I colored. The ones I saw look to be a yellow/orange/almost red color scheme. I will have to rely on my California buddies to tell me how close I got! ;) So here goes....

My card is a very simple lay out...just lots of layers. I picked my papers based on the poppy colors and I just kept adding layers until I like the way it looked. Do you ever do that? Very rarely do I have a sketch to work from, I usually just play around until I find what works for the card. I started with a layer of Stampin' Up! Basic Gray card stock and added some SU! Naturals White, gray polka dot paper, and stitched a border. Next, I used some SU! Calypso Coral to back my coral patterned paper and did some more stitching...so far, so good....straight lines! ;) Then I die cut my scallop circle and my flower from more of the Naturals White card stock. I then printed my Countryside Bouquet image on white card stock and my sentiment on more Naturals White. I colored my image with Copics and die cut it out. I hand cut a Calypso Coral layer for my colored image and distressed it with Tim Holtz's distressing tool....a gem of a product!

I decided I could not leave out the quilted patterned paper so I layered a strip of it with gray card stock, did some more stitching and added it to the layers. Of course, I fiddled and fussed with all of it until I had it like I wanted then cut out my sentiment using the adorable little die from PTI. **I have a little tip here that may help you when you are cutting out things with a solid die....I first cut out the die shape from a piece of vellum or some other opaque material then lay it over my digital image where I want the cut and use a little washi to hold it down. Then I can slide my die over it and it kind of falls into place right where I want to make the cut. Works like a charm and no more Betty Crocker guess and cut. Then I just added a little cream taffeta ribbon, my flower and button and that was that. I probably should add that just about every layer got a sponging of Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress inks from Ranger (some areas more than others...more on that at the end of the post). I also added a little Vintage Cream hybrid ink from PTI to soften some of the edges a bit.

Of course, my new Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush got a real work out on the flower centers....I really love the look it gives. Still no Krylon pen gold edges...I think that may be a new record for me, but it still has it's place of honor on my craft table. ;) Oh, there was little drama yesterday while I was photographing my card. I headed outside because I thought I could get a better picture that way..you know-sunshine, wildflowers....I was feeling pretty good about the little photo shoot I had planned. Well, it had not long stopped raining when....you get where I'm going with this, don't you....yeah, a big ol' drop of rain fell off of a leaf and landed smack dab on my colored image. I am sure you heard the scream....fortunately, I was able to camouflage the water spot once I quit hyperventilating. So, now there is a little extra Antique Linen ink right above the poppy bud on the left....if you look really closely, you might still see remnants of the catastrophe but all's well that ends well, right?

Ok, so that is pretty much it for my card, but you just have to go see what all of the other ladies on the Bloom Brigade have created for you...it is positively swoon worthy! Then, just like the other sets this week, you can immediately purchase this set in the Power Poppy store! How about that for service? You could be coloring poppies today if your little heart desires so go grab your set! I hope you will join us tomorrow for the Power Poppy Blog Hop where you will get another look at all of the sets with more projects from the Bloom Brigade! I am so glad you could stop by and I hope to see you tomorrow! Until then, take care!

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Hi there and welcome back! I am so glad you could come back for Day 2 of Power Poppy's July Release. Did you enjoy yesterday's festivities? Quite a lot to take in, right? Well, that was just the beginning, and there is a whole lot more where that came from. So, when you think summer flowers...what do you think of? One that immediately comes to my mind is geraniums. I picture beautiful red or pink geraniums in pretty pots on freshly painted white porches.....lovely summer sightings here in the south but I imagine it is pretty similar everywhere. I have to admit.....I had quite a good time coloring this lovely image up...so much so, I colored it up a few times and you'll see it again soon....I promise! So let's all take a look at this gorgeous new set....

Geraniums. Aren't they beautiful? Earth certainly does laugh in flowers. Thankfully, she also has a wonderful sense of humor! Now, let's take a peek at what I created with this set....

Does Marcella know her flowers, or what? I absolutely love this image and I can tell you it was a dream to color! I printed my image, die cut it out, then colored it up with Copics. Next, I sponged a little Ranger Distress ink in Antique Linen and Evergreen Bough and layered it with some dark pink card stock. I actually chose a sentiment from an earlier set, Good Thinking:Renewal because this is an anniversary card. My dearest friend and her husband recently celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary, so I thought "Plant Love" was certainly appropriate. They certainly have sown many seeds of love along the way and 35 years is definitely a blessing and a testimony of their commitment to each other. She is a country girl at heart, like I am, so I thought she would really like these geraniums. The rest of the card is more dark pink for the card base, a layer of white card stock and a couple of designer paper layers. The ribbon is actually some from a gift that this same friend gave me a while back....I love the natural feel of the fibers and thought it would look great with the nature inspired theme. A little twine and button, my sentiment layered in a die cut circle and some flowers and leaves and this card is done. I did add a little Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush accents on some of the geranium blooms to give it a little sparkle. OH...and lookie....straight stitched lines.....can you believe it? Miracles never cease, do they? ;)

Can you believe the detail on these gorgeous blooms and leaves? Once again, Marcella has outdone herself. Are you itching to create your own project with this lovely image? Well, you can....like today! This is another digital image and it comes with a beautiful sentiment too....and both are available in the Power Poppy store immediately....like now....so what are you waiting for? You could have this lovely digital set with just a few clicks of the mouse and a few keystrokes! How's that sound to you? Don't forget to check out what the other Bloom Brigade ladies have created for you.....I can honestly say, prepare to be amazed. Make sure you leave them a little blog love while you're there and then get on over to the Power Poppy shop and get your own digital image! And don't forget to tune in tomorrow for a look at what Day 3 will bring... another true masterpiece that I know you will love. So, take care and I hope to see you tomorrow. Thanks so much for stopping by and join me in wishing my friends a Happy 35th Anniversary! ***S & B-sending much love to you and wishing you many more years of happiness!

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Hi there and welcome to Day 1 of Power Poppy's Release! I am so glad you could stop by! :) I know you have probably been wondering what on earth Marcella has been up to and now we get to start showing you. So why don't we just go ahead and dig in, shall we?

Arranging Roses...aren't they beautiful? Roses and strawberries together....what a recipe for a perfect summer day, don't you think? And since this is a digital release, you can resize this sweet image to suit you and that goes for the wonderful sentiment too! So let me show you what I created using this wonderful image and sentiment...

A little departure from my normal gold gilded cards, right? This image reminded me of a bright, sunny summer day so I went with a cleaner look. Ok, a little drama with the sewing machine again...this time it was not the machine's fault though...it was completely mine. It seems I can't sew a straight line...I tried doing a saddle type stitch on each side of the yellow panel but it was a little off, so then I got the bright idea to do some alternating stitches in progressively shorter lengths to kind of draw your eye around the top of the card (and down play my first oops)....nothing bold, just a subtle little something....well, those aren't straight either. Soooo, as they say...it is what it is. I am going to choose to believe it adds some charm....so just go along with me, ok? And speaking of charm, I could not resist adding that little bit of yellow rick rack across the bottom of my image and card and yep...I did it with another slightly off stitched line. Sigh. I don't think I have shared this with anyone yet, but I am a rick rack hoarder. I freely admit that...it really has to be a strong calling to actually get me to use any of it, but I think it looks right at home here so we're ok. :)

Alrighty, so back to the image....I printed it out and colored it up using several Copics because there are actually three different colors of roses in this bouquet...a yellow, a cream, and a yellow-red. I kept that sweet pitcher white to play off the the yellow, white, and gray color palette. My sentiment is printed, then die cut and layered with another die cut. This card is very simple in design...just a couple of patterned papers, two layers of a dark mushroom color card stock, and my image and sentiment panels...not a button, not a bow, not a gilded edge as far as the eye can see.

Isn't that a lovely quote? I love mixed font sentiments...they really add so much interest, don't you think? And what do you think about that gorgeous pitcher of roses and strawberries? Does Marcella know how to draw 'em, or what? So, while that is all for my card, there is much, much more for you to see. My Bloom Brigade sisters have all been busy behind the scenes with their projects and boy, are you in for a treat! So hop on around and check out all of their beauties and make sure you leave them a little blog love while you're there! If you'll notice on the link list below...Marcella is on there....she has a blog post to share with you about this amazing new set so make sure you check it out! :)I am so glad you came for a visit and I hope to see you back here for Day 2 of the release. There is lots more to see so come on back tomorrow, you hear? Until then, take care and have a wonderful day!

Friday, June 27, 2014

Pssst, ladies...please gather around because I have a sneak peek for you! Can you believe it is already time for another release from Power Poppy? I can most certainly assure you that you are going to love these images. I have been all giddy with excitement for release week because I know all of these are going to be a big hit....I mean, c'mon...it's Marcella and flowers.....does it really get any better than that? ;) So, here is my little sneaky peek and I will be looking forward to seeing you here tomorrow for Day 1 of the Power Poppy July 2014 Release! Until then, take care!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Hi there! Hope all has been well with you! Things here have been good. I have been outside some getting my hands dirty doing yard work which was completely wonderful and very inspiring....as you will see later this week! ;) I do have a little project to share with you using Power Poppy's Play Ball! set. I had been mulling over some ideas for that set and finally got around to getting some of them done. This is actually a "Two-fer"....down here in Georgia, that is the southern drawl expression for a "two for one"....lol. So, let me show you what I did with this awesome set....

I made a little gift set! When I first saw these images I immediately thought of those cute little chocolates wrapped up like baseballs...really, it's not a far stretch at all....my mind immediately goes to chocolate with lots of things! ;) I had some cute little treat boxes that I had gotten from Stampin' Up! and the rest just kind of came together. The box is simply a three layered belly band that I stitched on the edges then decorated using some images stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black, colored with copics, and fussy cut out. I also used a little tag die from PTI, some American Crafts ribbon, and some May Arts twine.

I added some glitter with an Atyou Spica Red Glitter pen on the banner and then glittered some of the stars in the paper with a new acquisition for me....a Wink of Stella clear glitter brush. I know, I have been living in the dark ages without this little jewel but I will be making up for lost time, I can assure you of that! ;) Well, I couldn't let this box stand alone so I made a little card to accompany it using more of the images and sentiments from the Play Ball! set. This set is chock full of nifty little vintage-y baseball icons and I wanted to use them all.... I didn't quite....but almost!

Ok, now I am going to tell you something that may be quite shocking and honestly, I have never been able to bring myself to do it until this time...I cut the sentiment stamp "From Your" into two pieces. I know....but it had to be done because I needed the sentiment to snug into that little rounded area of the baseball. But the good thing is, clear polymer stamps are very forgiving and you can still load them right back up on your stamping block and it will stamp like you never even did that....and you will never have to speak of it again...lol. Here is a little close up....

The card is very simple....a layered square stitched around the edges with a layered circle that I stamped on then added some more of my colored and fussy cut images...and of course, some more Wink of Stella on the #1 to make it stand out more. The finished card size is 4 1/4" square. I spritzed some ink on the baseball to give it a little more dirt. I'll list the copics I used below, but I will warn you, I used a boat load of them on this card and box...mostly Earth tones.....but these were so. much. fun. to color! And here is a final little close up of the real star of the show....the chocolate, I mean...the treat box...:)

So, that is all for my little baseball themed project today! If you haven't snatched this set up yet, you really ought to....lots of fun to be had here. :) I would love it if you would tune in tomorrow because I have a little Power Poppy sneak peek to share with you then the rest of the week will be the release projects by the Bloom Brigade and I know you don't want to miss that! So, until then...I hope you have a great rest of the day and I am so glad you could stop by!

Friday, June 13, 2014

Hi there! How have you been? You may have noticed, I took a little blogging hiatus for a bit to try to get some things done around the house but I'm back today with a card to share with you and a little news! Power Poppy is hosting a wonderful challenge that I think you are going to love! Not only do you get a chance to win a prize but you could be featured as a "Peep of the Week"!

So for my card today, I used one of Power Poppy's digital images Tulips. I could have used the stamp version, but I wanted some big ol' tulips on this big ol' 4 1/8" x 6 1/8" card, so here they are in all their big ol' glory....

This card is pretty simple in design...just a few die cuts and some patterned papers. My card base is dark brown card stock. I then layered my patterned papers on another layer of dark brown card stock with a little cream craft ink sponged on to give it a nice finished edge. I loved how one of the papers had a pretty flourish corner detail and I wanted to incorporate that in my card so I worked it in the upper right corner and then added some green stripe paper for the bottom half. Some of the edges are stitched on the machine. I used two ribbons on this card, a burlap ribbon and some cream grosgrain and layered them. Next, I printed my image and sentiment on the computer, and die cut them out. I colored my tulips with Copics and layered it with some more dark brown card stock. For my sentiment (which is included with the tulip image), I die cut it out, sponged on some of Ranger's Distress ink in Peeled Paint then layered with more dark brown card stock. I backed my image panel with a die cut tag from Spellbinders that I cut in half to put at the top and bottom then cut the prongs off a pretty antique metal brad and attached it with some foam dimensionals. I was aiming for it to look like an art print mounted with a neat bracket....what do you think?

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I finished it out by adding a little sparkle with my Atyou Spica Clear glitter pen, although I could not get it to show up in the photos...so just imagine you see a little sparkle on the stamens of the tulip, k? Well, that is all for my card today but there is more for you to see. Make sure you check out all of the awesomeness that my Bloom Brigade sisters have created for you....I am sure you will be inspired. After you check out all of the blog posts, get busy making your own creation for our challenge this week...who knows....you could be the very first "Peep of the Week" and a stamp winner to boot! So get busy and link up your beautiful creation...we can't wait to see! Thanks so much for stopping by today and I look forward to seeing you again soon and like the card...wishing you many blessings and immeasurable joy! Until then, take care. :)

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Hi there...and welcome back for the grand finale of the week....the Power Poppy Blog Hop! This is where you get another look at all of the stamps being released this month with creations from the entire Bloom Brigade. So are you ready to get started? Well then, let's go!

For my project I used the gorgeous Lavender stamp set. I have been wanting to try a new technique using a sentiment so I thought this would be a good opportunity. Let me show you...

Well, I say new...it's actually new to me....see how my image fades out to allow the sentiment to be seen easily? Well, I did that by inking up my image and then taking a paper towel and dabbing off some of the ink where my sentiment would be....pretty nifty, huh? I stamped my image on white card stock and colored it up with copics, using the lightest shades in the faded area. Next, I stamped my sentiment and then I die cut it out. While it was still in the die, I sponged some Iced Spruce Ranger Distress Ink in the lower left corner to anchor it. I adhered my die cut panel to some purple card stock and hand trimmed it out. Next, I started the embossed layer. I measured how much of a strip I wanted and then used an embossing folder first on the top and then on the bottom so I would be left with a strip that wasn't embossed. Then, I cut my purple polka dot paper and music paper to fit in the un-embossed area adhering them down. I added a little zig zag stitching and then tied my purple gingham ribbon around the panel. Next, I layered the panel with more purple card stock and lastly adhered it to my white card base.

All that was left to do was adhere my sentiment panel down under the bow and add the button. I have had that adorable purple string in my stash for eons, and thought it was perfect for this card....don't those little tabs on the string look like the lavender blooms? I love how this turned out and now I am going to want to do this all the time...I know, I know....patience, grasshopper. Here is a little side angle so you can see the layers...

So, does anyone else hear the Eagles right now? Do you have a peaceful, easy feeling? I hope so! ;) Well, that is all for my little card today but there is much, much more for you to see! Make sure you check out all of the beautiful creations that my Bloom Brigade team mates have created for you and then, go on over to the Power Poppy site and make these gorgeous stamp sets your own....they go on sale today! I am so glad you could stop by and I hope you have a wonderful day. I'll be back soon with more projects to share so until then, take care!

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FTC Disclosure Statement

In the spirit of full disclosure, I currently work as a freelance designer in some capacity for the following company: Power Poppy. While I am compensated by this company, either monetarily or in product, I still maintain the freedom as an independent designer to say what I truly think of their products. I will never recommend something that I don't personally use and enjoy.